Stillness
by Lazerwolf314
Summary: When Piper dies, they break. And somewhere, an Angel feels his heart shatter.
1. Chapter 1

When Piper dies, they break.

The finality of flat line and the high pitched noise coming from the monitor tears them to pieces, without any hope of stitching themselves back together. Even when one of the nurses silences the noise with a press of a button, sad eyes dancing over the three shattering souls, it continues to ring in their ears.

Distantly, Prue can hear one of the doctors telling them something, perhaps something about time, but it doesn't process, can't process, and they take no heed when the medical staff files out of the room, taking with them the smallest shreds of doubt.

Piper is dead.

Their sister is dead.

Pheobe makes it all of one step before she collapses, knees giving out and dragging Prue down with her, unwilling to release her clutches on her eldest sister's arm. They crash to the floor, limbs striking linoleum sharply and flesh blooming bruises they can't feel. Pheobe curls around Prue and tucks her head to her sister's chest, sobs wracking both of their entangled forms. Prue remains silent, because this can't be happening, she can't be dead, she can't lose another person she loves, not her sister, not after Andy and _oh God_ , why is this happening?

Dan remains motionless on the other side of the room, hands clenching and unclenching slowly. There are tears in his eyes, dripping down his cheeks, splashing onto the floor, _drip drip drip_. All he wants to do is tear his gaze away from the body, from Piper, but he can't. He sees nothing but pale skin and matted hair and a hospital gown. Something thuds in his ears and he doesn't know if it's his heart or the denial that he can't seem to escape.

Somewhere, an Angel feels his heart shatter.

* * *

 _A/N: My roommate convinced me to start watching Charmed. Made it to Season 2 in about a week._

 _I have regrets._

 _Try as I might, I couldn't stop this from blossoming._

 _Branches from Season 2, Episode 12, Awakened. Will (potentially, depending on if there's interest and my brain doesn't get distracted by other story ideas), continue on from there. (Obviously, in this, Leo doesn't save Piper, for which I have an explanation for.)_

 _Enjoy my lovelies._

 _Hearts always, A._


	2. Chapter 2

When Leo's hands begin to tremble, shake, quake, just like his heart, Piper sighs softly.

"I don't understand," Leo whispers to himself, staring at the healing hands that have betrayed him, sensing the magic that could save his love being held just out of reach by forces more powerful than him. The golden light tugs inside his veins, swirling alongside his blood, but he can't let it out, no matter how much his conscious begs it to. "Why won't it work, it should work, there's still time, this has to work," he mutters frantically, flexing his fingers and reaching for Piper's palms once again.

The witch reaches up and twines her fingers with his, holding tightly when he tries to pull away.

"Piper, what are you doing, let go, let me save you!" he all but shouts, tugging desperately even as his eyes fill with tears and his senses go haywire. The pain floods his core, the taste of disease and illness filling his mouth. The taste of the Oroya fever.

A charge has passed.

Piper is dead.

He feels the very moment when all of her soul's ties to the mortal plane are severed, casting her free just as her body draws its final breath following the final jolt the doctors administer.

"Leo, it's too late," his love murmurs, crouching when he falls to his knees. Behind him, the white light intensifies and she can feel it reaching out to her. Ignoring the pull of peace, she rests her forehead against her Whitelighter's, her love's.

 _Piper_ , a voice whispers, calling to her from the depths of that beautiful light.

It sounds like Grams. It sounds like her mom. It sounds like home.

Leo looks into her eyes, his own desolate and red rimmed as tears leak freely. "I don't understand," he whispers again, voice cracking. "I should have been able to save you. Why didn't they let me save you?"

Piper feels her heart break for the man before her and for the sorrow she can feel from those still in the hospital room.

Taking Leo's face in her hands, she presses a gentle kiss to his lips, tasting the salt of his tears. "It's okay Leo. This isn't your fault," she tells him.

"But," he begins, broken protest rising.

 _Piper,_ the voice calls again, louder, more insistent.

She doesn't have much time left here.

"Leo, look at me," she orders, waiting for his darting gaze to settle. "This isn't your fault. I want you to promise me that you won't blame yourself. And promise you won't do anything stupid. Promise me," she repeats when Leo starts to look away.

"Piper," he breathes, denial at the tip of his tongue.

"Promise me," Piper repeats for a third time, desperation creeping into her tone.

On a quavering breath, Leo finally meets her gaze, devastation carved into every aspect of his features. "I promise."

"Thank you," she whispers, looking over his shoulder at something he can't see and he can sense her soul preparing to move on. It shreds at his heart.

"Can you do something for me?" Piper asks, fighting to pull away against the ever growing pull of the light.

"Anything."

"Tell Prue and Phoebe I love them. I love them so much. And that I don't want them to try and find a way to undo this. I think this is what was meant to be. And tell Prue that her favorite silver earrings, the ones she thought she lost four years ago, are in my jewelry box. I stole them because they always looked good on her and I thought that if I had them, I'd be as confident in my life as she was. And tell Phoebe that no matter what she ends up doing with her life, I'll always be proud of her. Can you do that?" Piper asks desperately, now actively resisting the swelling light.

 _PIPER_ , the voice shouts, demanding and surrounding.

"I can. Piper…" Leo starts, only to be cut off by a frantic kiss.

"I love you Leo. So much. I-" she's cut off abruptly by a full body flinch. "It's time," she whispers.

"No, not yet," Leo tries, unwilling to relinquish his grasp on her form.

"Oh Leo," she murmurs, a tear trailing down her cheek. "I'm so sorry it has to be this way."

Gently, she extracts herself from his grip and steps around his form. He turns with her, trying to stop himself from reaching for her. Stopping just at the edge of the white light, his love looks back one last time. Piper smiles softly.

"I love you."

And then she's gone.

Leo stands alone in the darkness of the In-Between.

And, alongside the two living sisters, his charges, his friends, feels his heart shatter.

* * *

 _A/N: I've made it to season 4._

 _My brain is mush._

 _Hearts always, A._


End file.
